This Just In - United Hatzalah

The Santa Barbara minilance and ambucycle continue to do lifesaving work in the Mitzpe Ramon region.

A family was at home and their rowdy 8 year-old son was playing a game with pebbles when for reasons unknown, he started to choke on one of them! His parents urgently called for help.

Ariel was nearby when the call came in. He quickly grabbed the medical kit from your minilance and raced to the address.

Rushing inside, Ariel found the boy clutching at his throat and struggling to breathe. As the boy was still making noises indicating that the airway was not yet completely blocked, Ariel encouraged the victim to cough and expel the object as the boy’s panicked mother stood by helplessly. After a few feeble attempts, the child became silent as his throat became completely blocked.

Every action was critical at this point as the United Hatzalah medic positioned himself behind the boy and expertly performed the Heimlich maneuver. After a few thrusts, the boy gasped for air – Ariel had been successful! The child collapsed and sucked in oxygen deeply as his mother hugged him. Ariel gave the boy space to recover and examined the surrounding area. Since the obstructing object had apparently not exited through the child’s mouth, it must have descended either to his stomach or lungs. This was a problem, however with the boy now breathing, Ariel had saved his life and the immediate danger was over. An ambulance later arrived to transport the child to the hospital to remove the pebble.

At another call one Friday morning, Ariel was preparing for Shabbat when his radio crackled. Ariel quickly dashed to your minilance and raced to the location. Familiar with the area, he sped down narrow alleys to arrive on location in record time.

Ariel grabbed the medical kit from your minilance and ran inside. An elderly man was suffering from chest pain. Ariel quickly took a full set of vitals and determined that the man was likely suffering a heart attack! He quickly administered medication to reduce cardiac pressure and stabilized the patient. An ambulance arrived and the paramedic performed an EKG, confirming Ariel’s suspicions. The patient was then whisked to the hospital and expected to make a complete recovery, thanks to Ariel’s speedy response.